Wednesday, 24 September 2008

It was revealed overnight that Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly is to leave the cabinet, and if, as she insists, the decision is simply related to her desire to spend more time with her family then someone really should have had a word with her about timing. It probably wasn't the best idea for this news to come out the day after our beleaguered PM delivered conference address his great comeback speech (or appeal for a stay of execution, depending on your opinion).

But naturally Kelly's dodgy timing means speculation is rife as to the real reasons. Could it be because Blairite Kelly is unhappy with Gordy's overall performance or, and this is where the story concerns we godless, could it be because she can't accept various government measures that have conflicted with her devout Roman Catholicism?

Famously, Kelly is a member of the shadowy Catholic organisation Opus Dei and earlier this year she was a high-profile opponent of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, which various clergy opposed with such considered comments as "of Frankenstein proportions", "grotesque", and "Gender-bending was so last century; we now do species bending".

Did the successful passage of this bill, along with the Brown's overall performance, play a part in Kelly's decision to quit? The official line, of course, is no – Kelly insists it was "purely a family decision" and that the news wasn't supposed to come out until Brown announced his cabinet reshuffle, which is expected next week.